Containers



May 28, 1957 Filed June 18, 1954 lil' v. F. SCHMIDT 2,793,670

CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V N TOR.

7%? 42% 1% ya; M&@,

M MY 02 y 8, 1957 v. F. SCHMIDT 2,793,670

CONTAINERS Filed June 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY- %ad,dz 2M4 MM? 4% a United States Patent Ofice Patented May 28, 1957 CONTAINERS Vernon E. Schmidt; Chicago, Ill., assignor to Republic Molding Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 18, 1954, Serial No. 437,713

4 Claims. (Cl. lfiii dd) This invention relates to an improved container and, more particularly, to a container having a handle or bail secured thereto in an improved manner.

Pails and buckets have been manufactured for many years. with very little change or improvement. Certain undesirable characteristics have been ever present, but Wereconsidered unavoidable in these prior devices. For example, most conventional prior pail designs included a vertical side seam and a circular bottom seam. These collect dirt and moisture and provide a breeding place for germs and disease, as well as an originating point for destructive corrosion. Most pails are formed of metal, typically galvanized sheet iron. While the galvanized surfaces resist corrosion, any chip, scratch orother break in thecoated surface provides a starting point for rust which will ultimately destroy the usefulness of the article. Furthermore, a metal pail has hard sharp surfaces and edges which will mar and scratch surfaces with which the pail. comes into contact and also produce a dangerous source of accidents and injuries to the user. The noise which emanates from the reverberant sides and hard sharp edges of the conventional pail are familiar to all users. Such noise is always objectionable but may prove intolerable under certain circumstances such as in hospitals, sick rooms, nurseries and the like.

To construct a bucket or pail of a material other than metal has been considered impractical heretofore as other materials lack the tensile strength and sheer re sistance considered necessary to provide a pail capable of sustaining the desired loads. In particular, various plastic products both rigid and flexible have been tried and rejected. The inflexible products lack tensile strength and are frangible and incapable of withstanding impact. The flexible materials have relatively'low shear strength and thus presented apparently insurmountable problems when metal attachments and fixtures were employed in association therewith. Moreover, the tendency of the flexible material to flex or bow when the pail is lifted while under load presented a still further problem in that the ends of the bail or handle would tend to be displaced or freed at their points of attachment at the'sides of the pail. Even though the ends of the bail might be keyed into the side walls of the pail, this tendency to flex or bow when the pail is lifted while under load tends to tear the flexible material and cause rapid wearand destruction. This destructive tendency resulting from this flexing or' bowing limited the uses of a pail made of flexible material as well as the size of the pail and the work to which it might be put.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to overcome the aforesaid difiiculties by providing animproved form of pail, preferably made of flexible material, having an improved form of bail or handle attachment that cannot be displaced or dislodged or that cannot destroy or tear the material.

It is a-further object of this invention to provide an improved form or design of container wherein the aforesaid bail mounting means may be integrally formed to distribute the load in the pail uniformly through the wall structure of the pail.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved form of container having bail mounting means so formed that the load or weight of the contents of the pail will be distributed in a manner to prevent undue strain at the points of attachment of the bail and, therefore, prolong the life and increase the uses of the pail, particularly if it is made of flexible material.

It is another object of this invention. to provide an assembly of a moldable pail and a bail in which the bail is not subject to removal.

ltis another object of this invention to provide means for securing a bail to a receptacle of molded material which does not require complex auxiliary hardware, is not subject to corrosion or deterioration, and by which the various elements may be quickly and permanently assembled into an operating unit.

In one specific form of the invention a pail is provided having a base and generally vertical sides extending upwardly therefrom to define a generally cylindrical receptacle. integrally formed with the sides adjacent to an upwardly directed opening therein are trunnion-like extensions adapted to receive a handle having circularly formed ends; A- stirrup is integrally molded with each of the trunnions and with the sides of the receptacle, said stirrup having two apertures therein on opposite sides of the associated trunnions whereby the formed end of the handle may be secured therein in a rotatable but nonremovable manner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container or pail of flexible material which, when so molded and provided with the aforesaid stirrups and trunnions, will have a cooperating or related rim and side panel structure that functions to distribute the strain produced by the load carried by the pail and keep this strain from being held solely at the points of attachment of the bail.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1- is a perspective View of one embodiinentof this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view inelevation of the embodiment of Fig; 1; a

Fig. 3*is'a top plan view of the embodiment of Fig; 1*;

Fig; 4 is a partialside elevation of the embodimentof Fig. 1*, with-a portion of the bail removed;

Fig; 5 is a" sectionalview of a partof the embodiment Fig; 6 is a partial view of the embodiment of Fig; l showingthe' bail attaching means and taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, but with the trunnion in elevation;

Fig; 7 is a partialsectional view of the embodiment of of Fig. 1' showing the details of the bail attaching means;

Fig. 10 is a still further View showing this bail" attach ing means taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 2;.

Fig. 11 illustrates a slightlymodifiedform of structure;

contents thereinwhenthe pail is lifted in ordertoillusjtrate the self-spouting action andthe positive locking action of the bail ends witli' the pail at the points of attachment; and

Fig. 13 is an illustration of a pailmade of flexiblei f materialshowing how the" bailendst'endto disengage the pail at the points of attachment when the present invention is not employed.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, the particular embodiment of this invention to be shown and described comprises a receptacle 10 formed of a moldable materialand a wire bail 28 rotatably secured thereto. The receptacle 10 has generallycylindrical sides 12 terminating in a reinforced rim 14, said rim also having a bead or flange 16 formed thereon which surrounds a receiving opening in said receptacle. Also integrally molded with the receptacle 10 are vertical rein forcing panels 18 extending from the circumferential rim 14 to the bottom of the side walls 12. The flange 16 is enlarged at two portions 20 and 22 to form stirrups and is apertured to pass the circularly formed ends 24 and 26 of the wire bail 28. A hand receiving grip 30 is applied to the wire bail 28 to provide a cushioned grip when in use. Integrally formed as a part of the molded product is a pair of semicylindrical trunnions which cannot be seen in Fig. 1 but are apparent from a consideration of Figs. 2, 4, and 9. It has been impracticable heretofore to manufacture a pail or similar receptacle of a moldable material and especially of a moldable material which remains plastic or flexible subsequent to the initial forming operation. Such structures have heretofore presented insurmountable problems with respect to the shear strength and rigidity of the product with respect to the mounting of a bail or handle thereon. By employing the bail mounting means herein described a single molded product is provided capable of withstanding forces and tensions far in excess of those normally encountered in use. The bail mounting means on diametrically opposed portions of the vertical walls 12 are identical, and therefore, only one of the devices will be described in detail. The trunnion 32 has a circumferential recess 36 formed therein which is adapted to receive the circular portion 24 of the bail 28. The edge 16 formed about the pail opening is expanded to form the stirrup portions 22 which is integrally formed with the outer portion of the trunnion 32 and has elongated apertures 38 and 40 adjacent to the terminations of the recess 36. Thereby the circular portion 24 of the bail 28 may be received in the recess 36 and passes through the apertures 38 and 40 whereby the bail is freely rotatable with respect to the trunnions through an angle of about 180.

As shown clearly in Fig. 9, the panels 18 extend downwardly from the trunnion 32 and provide means to distribute the strain the entire length of the side wall down to the bottom and thus eliminate concentrating this strain locally where the bail 28 is attached to the pail. These panels 18 may go the entire length of the pail or may go a suflicient distance downwardly, as shown in Fig. 11, to accomplish substantially the same purpose. In addition to serving this purpose, the panels 18 form an important function in the manufacture of the receptacle. In general, by providing enlarged cross sections in any large generally planar molded product, the flow of the material during forming is greatly facilitated and a perfect product with all of the web portions completely filled with material may be consistently made without frequent rejects or flaws caused by improper weld marks or air pockets. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, panels 18 gradually taper toward the bottom of the receptacle and terminate in a circumferential bead 42 upon which the container normally rests. A planar base 44 closes the bottom portion of the side walls and joins the side walls in the bead 42. e

A head 46 is formed between openings 38 and 40 on the upper surface of the stirrup portion 22 of the flange 16. It has been found that the bead 46 increases the effective mass of material at trunnion 32 as well as increases the tensile strength of the material at this point. As the material of which the receptacle is manufactured isgenerally deformable or flexible, this rib diminishes the flexibility of the stirrup and trunnion, thus reducing the tendency to deform upwardly under the influence of the weight of the material in the receptacle. Thus the trunnion 32 is maintained in its semicylindrical configuration and engages the circular portion 24 of the bail over a substantial portion of its periphery. This provides improved weight distribution as well as reduced shear stresses in the material.

The bail may be assembled on the trunnion in a simple and expeditious manner by initially forming the circular ends of the bail in a helical fashion. The free end 48 of the circular portion 24 may then be inserted through the elongated apertures 38 and 40 in the stirrup 22. The free end 48 of the bail may then be reshaped by a fixture (not shown) to engage the associated knee 50 to provide a complete circular bail end 24 as described above.

While preferred embodiments are herein described, it is believed clear that by this invention it is made practicable to manufacture pails and buckets adapted for use with heavy loads and capable of support by an associated metal handle.

Fig. 12 illustrates how a pail embodying the present invention will flex and illustrates the self-spouting action due to this flexing by the weight of the contents of the pail when lifted. It also illustrates how the pail advantageously keeps closer to the body of the person (indicated at a) using the same. This, of course, aids in carrying the pail and preventing the spilling of the contents, if a liquid. Moreover, it aids in the pouring of the contents whether a liquid or a solid.

In this connection, it is to be remembered that the weight of the contents of the pail when lifted keeps the circular portions 24 of the bail 28 up into grooves 36 of trunnions 32 so that during this time these circular portion 24 of the bail ride in and bear upon the surfaces of these grooves 36 without any lateral displacement from these grooves. In other words, the weight of the contents of the pail pulls the pail downwardly upon these circular portions 24 to keep the latter held in the grooves. Due to this action, there is no wearing or tearing of the material of stirrups 22 and the mass of the material at the trunnions 32 is such that there is little, if any, wear if the material is a plastic such as polyethylene or its equivalent. As previously stated, the rim 14 and flange 16, together with the panels 18, will distribute the load from stirrups 22 so that loads of five hundred pounds or more, determined by tests, can be carried in the pail without any indications of wear or destruction.

Fig. 13 illustrates diagrammatically a pail made of flexible material and the action experienced when the usual form of bail attachment to the pail is used. The flexible pail will, of course, flex, as indicated by dotted lines, by the load of the contents when the pail is lifted. Due to the form of attachment of the bail, it will not follow the flexing action of the pail with the result that ends of the bail are pulled out of their bearing points 55 on the pail sides. This tendency of the ends of the bail to free themselves from the pail does not occur when the present invention is employed because the handle will follow the action of the pail in flexing and, as stated, the circular portions 24 will be held in groove 36 of the trunnions 32 by the weight'of the material on the pail. Moreover, the circular portions 24 of the handle are not permitted to wear against and ultimately tear the edges of openings 38 and 40 in the stirrups 22. The circular portions 24 are positively held in position and cannot be displaced.

While the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein illustrates and describes the invention as applied to a pail made of flexible material, it will be understood that the claims herein are not to be necessarily avoided by the use of a rigid pail because this novel structure of bail attachment could obviously be applied to a pail or container made of rigid material, although the same advantages may not be obtained. Consequently, it is not intended to limit the disclosure herein to a pail or container of flexible material where the form of bail attachment herein disclosed may be used.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the character of my invention that others may by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service, while retaining certain features which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A receptacle comprising a flexible generally cylindrical body portion, a pair of axially aligned trunnions diametrically opposed at opposite sides of said body portion and extending outwardly therefrom, said trunnions being integrally formed with said body portion, arcuate handle means having circularly formed ends to rotatably engage said trunnions, the formed ends of said handle defining substantially parallel planes spaced apart a distance sub stantially equal to the diameter of said body portions at said trunnions whereby a lifting force applied to said handle produces a corresponding substantially parallel aligned force on said trunnions and said body portion, and flange means being integrally formed with said body portion and each of said trunnions, said flange means being apertured on opposite sides of each of said trunnions immediately adjacent said body portion whereby said formed ends are rotatably received therethrough and urged against said body portion by said lifting force.

2. A receptacle comprising a flexible generally cylindrical body portion, a pair of axially aligned semicylindrical trunnions diametrically opposed at opposite sides of said body portion and extending outwardly therefrom, said trunnions being integrally formed with said body portion and having circumferential recesses formed therein immediately adjacent said wall portions, arcuate handle means having circularly formed ends to rotatably engage the circumferential recesses in said trunnions, the formed ends of said handle defining substantially parallel planes spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of said body portion at said trunnions, whereby a lifting force applied to said handle produces a corresponding substantially parallel aligned force on the semicylindrical recessed portions of said trunnions and said body portion, and flange means integrally formed with said body portion and each of said trunnions, said flange means being apertured on opposite sides of each of said trunnions immediately adjacent said body portion whereby said formed ends are rotatably receivedtherethrough and urged into said recesses and against said body portion by said lifting force.

3. A receptacle comprising a flexible body portion having a base and substantially straight generally upwardly extending wall portions integrally formed with said base, said wall portions defining a receiving opening at the upper edge thereof, a reinforcing flange integrally formed with said wall portions and surrounding said opening, a pair of axially aligned semicylindrical trunnions diametrically opposed at said upper edge and extending outwardly therefrom, each of said trunnions being integrally formed with said flange and having a circumferential recess formed therein immediately adjacent said wall portion, said flange being apertured adjacent said recess on either side of said trunnions, and arcuate handle means having circularly formed ends to rotatably engage the recessed portions of said trunnions, the diameter of said circularly formed ends being less than the diameter of said trunnions, the formed ends of said handle defining substantially parallel planes spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of said open edge whereby a lifting force applied to said handle produces a corresponding substantially parallel aligned force on the semicylindrical recessed portions of said trunnions and said said wall portions, said formed ends being rotatably received through the apertures in said flange and urged into said recesses and against said body portion by said lifting force.

4. A receptacle comprising a flexible body portion having a base and substantially straight generally upward extending wall portions integrally formed with said base, said wall portions defining a receiving opening at the upper edge thereof, a reinforcing flange integrally formed with said wall portions and surrounding said opening, a pair of axially aligned semicylindrical trunnions diametrically opposed at said upper edge and extending outwardly therefrom, each of said trunnions being integrally formed with said flange and having a circumferential recess formed therein immediately adjacent said wall portion, said flange being apertured adjacent said recess on either side of said trunnions, reinforcing straps integrally formed with said walls and extending vertically from each of said trunnions, a rib formed along said flange above each of said trunnions extending above the plane of said opening, and arcuate handle means having circularly formed ends to rotatably engage the recessed portions of said trunnions, the diameter of said circularly formed ends being less than the diameter of said trunnions, the formed ends of said handle defining substantially parallel planes spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the diameter of said open edge whereby a lifting force ap plied to said handle produces a corresponding substan tially parallel aligned force on the semicylindrical recessed portions of said trunnions and said wall portions, said formed ends being rotatably received through the apertures in said flange and urged into said recesses and against said body portion by said lifting force.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,138 Crowley Mar. 29, 1864 116,699 Fielding July 4, 1871 172,538 Wiley Jan. 18, 1876 1,682,048 Levien Aug. 28, 1928 1,731,752 Palmer Oct. 15, 1929 2,051,940 Chichester-Miles Aug. 25, 1936 2,185,093 Reynolds et al Dec. 26, 1939 2,620,006 Sorron-Zabala- Dec. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 689,475 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1953 

